Hon Asonsere Nicholas
By Kingsley Abavo, Benin
No sane person will vote the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general elections having foisted on the Nigeria nation and citizens, unbearable hardship.
This assertion was made weekend in Benin, the Edo State Capital by Hon. Asonsere Nicholas, PDP candidate for the State House of Assembly; Ikpoba-Okha Constituency in an interview with Spy News.
Saying the PDP is doing its best mobilizing voters ahead of the elections in few weeks away; Asonsere claims the Party is getting more sympathy amidst the increasing hardship foisted on Nigerians by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) hence, he is sure of victory at the polls.
He asserts; his confidence is derived from the belief that the PDP is the only political party fully on ground in Edo State.
“Every sane person will certainly not vote for the failed APC as whatever pain we are going through today, is as a result of the bad governance it has foisted on us.”
On what he intends to do differently if given the ticket; Asonsere banking on the experience gained as a former local legislator, promises; to focus on the yearning and aspirations of his constituents in his representation.
“I am not a diaspora politician; I live amongst the people and I know the issues as they affect my people.”
Hence his promise to push for laws that will help Government to further develop the State in general and Ikpoba-Okha; his Constituency in particular.
Against the backdrop of the internal crisis that have lingered in the State PDP going into the elections, Asonsere said that there was nothing to fear as all the odds are in their favour.
“The fact that there was a lingering issue between faction A and faction B which was recently put to rest by the Supreme Court; the Party has put in place a machinery to reconcile all aggrieved persons and I can assure that soonest, everyone will come under the big umbrella, and we will come out smoking and victorious in our elections.”
He stressed, the PDP will win the 24 seats in the State House of Assembly election.
Assessing the chances of the various political parties at the national elections; he said: the chances of the ruling APC nation wide is very slim adding; that there would be a repeat of the outcome of the 1979 general elections in 2023.
“Realistically, one cannot remove the factors of religion and ethnicity from Nigeria politics. It is our style, it is our culture, it is our way of life.
“Going by available statistics, the North has over 60 percent of the voting population, followed by the West, then the East; I don’t want to be specific about the figures; all of these will certainly come to play in the elections.
“I want to point out something: we are having a replay of what happened in the 1979 general elections.
“In 1979, we had Dr. Nnamadi Azikiwe from the East, Obafemi Awolowo from the West, Alhaji Shehu Shagari from the North West, Abubakar Rimi from Kano, and the great Waziri Ibrahim from the North East.
“Awolowo was of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Azikiwe from the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP), Shagari, National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Waziri Ibrahim was of the Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP), and Abubakar Rimi was of the People Redemption Party (PRP).
“Now fast forward to today’s situation; these people are all manifesting; Awolowo in Tinubu representing the West under the APC, Azikiwe in Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Shagari of the then NPN is now Atiku of the PDP, while Kwankwaso is now Abubakar Rimi of Kano.
“So we shall be having a repeat of how the election of 1979 went.”
In his message, Asonsere appealed the youths should shun every act of violence and avoid being used by anyone to create unnecessary unrest; and participate in the actualization of the dream of building a new Nigeria, where there is good governance, peace, safety, and a blossoming economy.
He enjoined the voters to come out enmass and vote for the candidates of their choice without any fear.
“You cannot buy a new cloth and give it to a carpenter to sew, you cannot buy a new car and give it to someone with a learner’s permit to drive, rather it is the man the cap fits who should wear it and that is Atiku Abubakar.”
He said that he has all it takes to effectively represent his constituency and hence, the voters should give him their mandate on election day, for competency.
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